Bravo Luigi! What is the story behind the full scale replicas of the LM and rover?

model maker

I always wondered why the ladder rungs only went down so far. Neil Armstrong had to jump back up to the first rung and made it but what if it was still too high in lunar gravity?

Ronpur

I think that is something we would all love to try!! Very awesome!

Robert Pearlman

quote:Originally posted by model maker:I always wondered why the ladder rungs only went down so far.

The Apollo Lunar Surface Journal has the answer:

The interior of each of the primary [landing gear] struts contains a piston and a compressible honeycomb structure... full compression of the honeycomb structure in a hard landing would have shortened the primary strut by 32 inches (81 cm).

...the bottom of the ladder was attached to the primary strut just above the point where the lower part of the strut could slide into the upper part. Consequently, full compression of the primary strut would have left the bottom rung of the ladder just above the footpad. However, there was never any significant compression ("stroking") of any of the struts in any of the landings, so the astronauts had to contend with a jump of slightly more than 32 inches. Fortunately, one-sixth gravity made it relatively easy. All you needed to do was give a little push with the legs and, with your hands on the outside rail, guide yourself up.

Charlie16

Thanks Robert, You've anticipated me.

In fact, the commanders of the six Apollo missions went down very gently without crushing the pistons. Pete Conrad had to make a huge leap...

Crushable aluminum honeycomb cartridge designed for the Lunar Module's landing gear primary struts, 48 inches tall, 5½ inches in diameter, and less than 5lb in weight. Finely-engineered aluminum in honeycomb formation, alloy caps and collar. Three Grumman paper parts labels, a few inspection stamps on the alloy parts. A few minor dents.

How to land Eagle safely on the moon? This was the problem faced by NASA and Grumman engineers. Once the "contact light" lit, indicating the Lunar Module's probes had touched the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin would shut off the engines and the LM would drop the remaining distance to the ground. Conventional hydraulic or pneumatic shock absorbers in the landing gear would be heavy and could leak, and Tom Kelly of Grumman insisted on a reliable and lightweight design. A company called Hexcel had developed aluminum honeycomb as a lightweight, rigid, high-strength filler material for aircraft control surfaces; they suggested their honeycomb might fit the bill. The landing gear would suffer only a one-time shock, so a reusable system was unnecessary. The honeycomb would be the buffer for an inner cylinder as it slid up inside an outer cylinder.

Compressing by as much as 32 inches, the honeycomb was designed for an impact of up to ten feet per second. In fact no Apollo mission landed at more than four feet per second. As a result, Eagle's struts did not collapse as much as expected, leaving the ladder some way above the moon's surface. Just after exiting the LM, Armstrong remarked "I just checked getting back up to that first step, Buzz. It's ... the strut isn't collapsed too far, but it's adequate to get back up."

Designed for the sole purpose of landing a man on the moon, this object is a fine example of the ingenuity that made the Apollo landings a success.

credit: Bonhams and Steve Jurvetson

Charlie16

quote:Originally posted by garymilgrom:Bravo Luigi! What is the story behind the full scale replicas of the LM and rover?

Thank Gary! The Lunar Module and Lunar Rover have been built by Omega in the late 90's to promote their watches.

Norman.King

Great stuff. Can I come and play too.

nasamad

That's probably the LRV that I have seen Stafford and Cernan driving in the past.

Your a lucky man Luigi, well done pal.

Charlie16

quote:Originally posted by nasamad:That's probably the LRV that I have seen Stafford and Cernan driving in the past.

Exactly! It was driven by Stafford and Cernan and Pizzimenti...

Charlie16

OMEGA LRV:

Charlie16

With Charlie Duke inside the replica of the Apollo Command Module "Casper".

Norman.King

That must have been a great day.

Charlie16

quote:Originally posted by Norman.King:That must have been a great day.

The biggest...

Tykeanaut

Was that in Switzerland then Luigi?

Charlie16

quote:Originally posted by Tykeanaut:Was that in Switzerland then Luigi?